Turner Mc–7 Months

So waaaay back in October my little chick pea turned 7 months! Yeah I know.

Weight: 14.5 pounds

Height: 25.5 inches

Clothing Size: 6 months

Diapers: Still in a size 2

Feeding: We are full on baby food now and nursing or bottle 3-4 times a day. 

Hair/Eyes: Bright blue eyes and her hair doesn’t look as red to me anymore. It’s still blonde but a little darker in my opinion. 

Sleep: Who knows. At this point I don’t know how often we get up or what goes on in the middle of the night.

Naps are touch and go and I swear if the kid didn’t look just like her daddy I’d think she were someone else’s child. He can sleep like no other, but the baby??? She doesn’t need sleep.

Favorites: She loves her walker and will go all over the place in that thing. She loves the dogs and has a new infatuation with the cats. She’s very vocal and loves to scream and shriek as loud as she can. Bath time is still so much fun and she loves playing with the cell phone.

Fun stuff: No crawling and no teeth. It’s crazy! She gets up on all fours and rocks back and forth and she can drag herself around now but no “crawling.” She’s finally figured out how to balance herself and she does awesome sitting up on her own without falling over.

She’s eating all kinds of pureed baby food and working on getting a couple teeth….I hope. She says mama and dada and a couple other foreign words. She does everything on her own time and will not repeat anything. It has to be her idea. I’m pretty sure she knows who we are but she isn’t calling us by name, just mumbling. Humor me and tell me that she says mama and dada and knows what she’s saying!

If you still actually read my blog then you are an awesome bloggy friend! I swear I’m trying to find some balance between mommyhood and normalcy. Work throws me off and I try to spend all my down time with Turner McCartney and John Paul. By the time she’s in bed for the night I’m a goner. I love you guys and if you’re still around let me know!

Baby Food Making

I decided when I was preggo that I was going to make all of Turner McCartney’s food much to John Paul’s amusement. Let’s be honest…I’m super lazy and I rarely make my own food. But to everyone’s surprise I’ve been making baby food since TM started solids and it’s super fun! Yay!!!

I try to pick one day a week – usually Saturday or Sunday – to make all the food for the week. When we started at 6 months I was only feeding her solids once a day and waiting 3 or 4 days between new foods. Now at 8 months she’s eating 2-3 times a day so we go through a lot more baby food.

I use the baby bullet to make our food but you could use any food processor or blender or the baby cook if you have that.

The cute little batch cups with the smiley faces sold it for me! They have a little dial that you can turn to the date you made the food so you’ll know how long it’s good for. I keep prepared food in the fridge for 3 or 4 days and in the freezer for 1 month based on info in the cookbook that came with my baby bullet. Ice cube trays are great for freezing baby food and then transferring to a freezer bag for storage.

On the menu: peaches, apples, sweet peas, brown rice, carrots, squash, and sweet potatoes. I like to buy organic on things that aren’t peeled. And frozen versus canned peas because frozen peas contain no sodium. The fresh veggies are from our local farmers market. I LOVE shopping local and supporting our farmers!

I cook everything except avocado and bananas before turning it into baby food. I have a small steam basket that I use all the time. It fits in a medium pot and works perfectly for steaming food for the babe. I steam or boil just until the fruit or veggie is soft and I always leave the peel on while I cook it. I boiled the squash and sweet potato and steamed the carrots, peas, peaches, and apple. The brown rice you just mill to a fine powder and then cook with water later.

I’m still pureeing TM’s food to a smooth consistency because I’m terrified she will choke. This is what the finished product will look like. The peas are a little textured and the sweet potato makes the best puree. You can even bake it and then puree it.

The first foods we introduced were avocado followed by sweet potato and then bananas. She was not a fan of the avocado. So far she’s had apples, carrots, peas, peaches, squash, zucchini, blueberries, green beans, butternut squash, pears, prunes, and plums.

Most everything freezes well and keeps in the fridge. The only thing I make right before she eats is the banana. It turns brown pretty fast but I haven’t tried freezing it. Avocado also turns brown pretty fast but both these fruits can be mashed right before serving. I thaw the frozen food in the fridge the night before she needs it and I heat the food in a cup of hot water just like her milk.

So that’s how I make TM’s baby food. If you have any questions please let me know. I think making baby food is super fun and I love knowing exactly what she’s eating.

There are some things that I would love to know. Like when should I introduce meat?? And how can I get TM to eat like a champ?? She’s been refusing some of her fav veggies lately and really only eating fruit. Womp womp womp…..

6 Months in Pictures

So Turner McCartney turned six months back in SEPTEMBER! Holy blog slacker. I really keep thinking that I’m starting to get a hang of this mommy deal and then we resort to waking up in the middle of the night or throwing tantrums and it’s like I have to start over.

So this is the part where I promise to blog and I attempt to hold myself to it and then I fail miserably….so blah blah blah…..

I’m just going to give a quick recap and post some ridiculously cute pictures of my kid!

At six months we are still not crawling, have no teeth, and basically the cutest baby ever. She’s eating some solids and still nursing all the time. Wearing 3-6 month clothes and size 2 diapers. Sleep is really a topic I try to avoid.

 

Working Mom Woes

I’m sure it’s no surprise. I would love to be a stay at home mom, but I can’t. I’m not gonna lie….I’m super jealous of all my bloggy and twitter friends who get to stay at home with their babes. I hope that in the next few years we will be in a position for me to work from home or even better, not have to work.

We could have waited a few years before having a baby but ya know we didn’t wanna. Luckily the hubs knew how important it was to me to spend as much time with Turner Mc as I could and we decided I would return to work part time. With the new job my schedule is super random and a little excessive at times but I’m very thankful for the extra time I have with TM.

Even though I’m only working part time I miss TM like crazy when I’m away. I’m constantly wondering what she’s doing – if she misses me, is she eating enough, is she fussy, what about her poop – seriously, is she spending time on her tummy – you know typical mom worries. I know she is in great hands either with her daddy or with our super awesome baby sitter who treats her like a princess but obviously I think I’m the most awesome baby taker carer or whatever.

Am I the only psychotic mom out there?? You know the one who freaks about everything…the soft spot. Choking. Smothering. I worry about her while she’s napping. Will they check on her often? Make sure she’s still breathing. Not let her cry because I hate crying. Just typical neurotic crazy mom.

The hardest part of being a working mom is the fear that I will miss something. A first word, the first time she crawls, the first time she walks. I had a serious talk with TM about not doing anything unless mommy is there to witness it. And if she does something with her daddy that I’ve never seen before, he totally gets her to do it when I get home and pretends it’s the first time she’s ever done it. :) 

I love that I have friends – in real life and in the twitter world – who are also working moms. It makes it easier to deal with when you have someone who understands what it’s like. I feel guilty at times because I don’t know how TM feels when I leave her with someone else. Does she even care? Is she old enough to understand that I’m not there anymore? I dread the day that she cries when I leave her but I secretly long for it too. Sad but true. I want her to be happy when I leave her but not happier than when she’s with me. I know I’m crazy – it’s okay to let me know. I just feel like we have one chance to do this right and I’m so controlling that I have this need to be in control at all times.

I’m sure if I was a SAHM I would complain about needing a break – that’s just how it goes. But I do know that I wouldn’t trade the time I have with TM for anything in the world. Being a working mom is hard and it’s not even about trying to function after a sleepless night. It’s about trying to function when you’d rather be snuggling your baby.

Things I Miss About Pregnancy

I cannot believe I just typed that! And I know y’all are shocked. There are a few things that I do miss about being preggers!

*My last preggo pic and you can see how awesome my housekeeping skills are you know based on the cleanliness of the mirror……

If you are currently pregnant or are thinking of becoming pregnant these are the things you should totally take advantage of:

• pie – I ate an entire pie a day. And now that I’m not pregnant I can no longer consume an entire pie daily….without people thinking I’m crazy. At least when you’re pregnant no one will say anything to you!
• bitching – when you’re pregnant you can get away with being totally rude. Just blame it on the hormones. People are more forgiving when you are pregnant. Not so much once the baby arrives.
• sleep – there’s no sleeping once you birth the kid. For the love of all things holy - sleep people! Seriously, quit your job and stay in bed the entire 9+ months. Leave only to get more pie and to pee! 
• making the hubs do things for you – I could get my husband to do lots more for me while I was pregnant – not much but more than now. :) You are totally helpless while pregnant (at least I was) and I still don’t know how y’all care for a child while pregnant…..
• presents – yes I’m a horrible person and I miss getting presents. I could use a baby shower right about now….diapers are expensive!
• sanity – you think pregnancy brain is bad. Just wait till you meet 3-hours-of-sleep-brain.

I honestly have a hard time remembering what it feels like to be pregnant. I miss feeling the first flutters and those lovely kicks in the ribs. And the dancing on the bladder. However, I do not miss peeing on myself even though I must admit that doesn’t completely go away post pregnancy….just a warning.

TM 5 Months!

Turner McCartney turned 5 months on August 10th…..

Yes I realize I’m a failure as a mother and definitely a failure as a blogger! 

Let’s go over the deets! Other than the fact that she’s basically the cutest baby ever.

We both think 5 months is awesome!

Weight: 14 pounds

Height: 25.5 inches – homegirl is tall!

Clothing Size: Still sporting some 3 month clothes. 3-6 month fits great. And we’re wearing 6 month pjs for the length.

Diapers: Still in size 2 diapers

Feeding: Let’s see….she basically eats whenever she wants. She’s eating 16oz at the sitter’s house and nursing when we are together. She’s eating rice cereal now and doing awesome! She loves to eat and I promise she won’t miss a meal.

Hair/Eyes: Eyes are still blue. I think it’s so crazy how her hair looks red at times. Mostly its strawberry blonde with a couple “thin” spots.

Sleep: I will go ahead and jinx myself and say bedtime is getting easier. She usually sleeps through the night and only wakes up when I have no one here to bitch at.

Naps are a whole ‘nother story. I hate nap time. Hate it. Who has a baby who can’t stand naps?? Oh that’s right. Me. If anyone can figure out how to overcome this anti-nap phase I promise I’ll share my wine and xanax. (okay so I’m not on xanax – yet) 

Favorites: The dogs. Especially Dayne! She also loves her some bath time and playing in her exersaucer. Mickey Mouse Clubhouse in the mornings. She laughs and smiles anytime she hears the theme song. Or the hotdog dance music!

Fun stuff: I’m aware that I previously mentioned that my child is a genius but we must discuss the fact that she refuses to roll from stomach to back. She rolls back to stomach all the time. What’s the deal?

TM is sitting up on her own and she’s moved up to the ducky bath tub. She’s getting so big and I’m amazed at everything she does on her own. She reaches out and grabs whatever she wants. She holds her own bottle and puts her paci in her mouth. Let’s face it….she isn’t going to need me much longer!

4 Months Old!

Turner McCartney is 4 months old….okay was 4 months on July 10th. Yes I’m a major failure….

4 months is way cooler than the last 3 months! This is by far my favorite age!

Stats:

Weight: 13 pounds

Height: 24 inches

Clothing Size: Mostly 3 month clothes but some 6 month pajamas

Diapers: We just moved up to size 2 diapers.

Feeding: With the new j-o-b I’m back to barely keeping up! She usually eats between 12 and 16 oz at the sitters during the day and she’s nursing once in the am and twice at night. Sometimes she still gets up for a 2 am feeding.

Hair/Eyes: Eyes are still blue. Her hair is strawberry blonde and it looks different every day. I think she might be losing some of her hair so fingers crossed for no bald spots!

Sleep: Oh how I loathe bedtime. Getting her to sleep is such a struggle but once she’s finally asleep she sleeps through the night. Maybe. Sometimes. Unless John Paul is at work. Then it’s up at least once a night.

Favorites: We still love bath time and I assume this will always be a fav. She loves strolling in her big girl stroller. Sophie the giraffe is another favorite.

Fun stuff: At 4 months we’ve tried out the bouncy activity center thingy and she loves that. She also really loves to watch TV. There, I said it. Judge me…..are you done?? Because she totally watches educational stuff like Baby Einstein and maybe she watches Disney Jr. Maybe.

She also sleeps on her stomach a lot. There’s no preventing it. She flips over in her sleep and she seems to sleep much better when we let her do her own thing.

She rolls over from her back to her stomach but she won’t roll from her stomach to her back which is super weird because it seems like that would be much easier. She’s starting to hold her own bottle some and just yesterday (August 1st) she sat up by herself without falling over! Yay Team Turner Mc!

So basically to sum it all up….my kid rocks! She’s a child genius and we can’t get enough of her!